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Returning to the family farm: Advice for young farmers

Monday, December 18, 2017

What should young farmers consider when starting out on the family farm? Ken Solly’s advice starts with:

Firstly, you must have farming in your guts. If you don't have that intrinsic love for the land, you're probably going to struggle, because the two
most important things in agriculture – the weather and the market – are out of your control, and both will have a huge impact on your livelihood.

Secondly, stay on a fast learning curve because you must aim to be in the top 20% of producers

Have defined 20-year goals. You need to know where you and the business are heading. If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there,
but there is a fair chance you will be dissatisfied with your destination

Get some very good mentors around you; people you can really learn from, people who will actually help with your discipline. There are too many 'gunnas'
in agriculture; you need to have discipline to follow through with your plans

Lastly, hang around with better farmers than yourself. Make sure you try and ascertain who the top farmers are, and try and learn from them all the
time